Abstract:

Online media, social media platforms, gaming platforms, and the vast expanse of internet connectivity and advancements in the expansion and emergence of new forms and uses of artificial intelligence, have opened enormous opportunities for commerce and communication. The sheer convenience and ubiquity of online connectivity have made the internet a new way of life for nearly everyone in the 21st century, especially children, whose social lives have almost entirely migrated online by default. This realm of online communication has also resulted in the creation of disturbing opportunities for harms to children that were originally unforeseen and, in many ways, unknown to earlier generations. The emergence and multiplication of online harms poses a serious threat to the well-being of children, globally.  This paper will explore qualitative data from a study the author conducted involving children, young people and a range of professionals.  It will argue that the UN General Comment on children's rights in the digital environment establishes clear guidance on partnership work between states parties and the technology sector.   The paper argues that online harms to children must be addressed through a thoughtful, intentional program of regulation, online tools, new software, education, and cultural shifts to make the online universe tolerably safe for users.

Bio:

Dr Faith Gordon is an Associate Professor at the ANU College of Law, The Australian National University and has just finished her term as Deputy Associate Dean of Research. Faith is the Director of the Interdisciplinary International Youth Justice Network which she established in 2016 and a co-founder and co-moderator of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology's Thematic Group on children, young people and the criminal justice system.  Faith’s current funded research addresses three topical contemporary issues: 1) children’s rights in criminal justice and in immigration law; 2) children, online harms, and AI/emerging technologies; 3) children and climate action.

Faith’s research has been referred to by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, in the Northern Ireland High Court, the UK Court of Appeal and the Youth Court in Aotearoa New Zealand. Faith's research on online harms was referred to by the UK Joint Committee on Draft Online Safety Bill, House of Lords (2021).  In 2022, Faith was awarded the ANU Vice-Chancellor's Award for Influential Impact and Engagement, for her research on the rights of children and young people in the media and online.

To attend, RSVP Evie Heard, sheard01@qub.ac.uk